Page 19 of Dangerous Deception

“Exactly!” I throw my hands up. “Finally, you’re getting it. I feel like a prisoner.”

Raffaele’s smile fades and he returns to the tablet beside his plate. “Welcome to married life.”

My frustration swells in my chest like my head is going to explode, so I slam my hands down on the table and shove my chair back. Cutlery and plates all jump from the impact, but Raffaele doesn’t even look up.

“You’re insufferable,” I snap, storming away.

No wonder he’s been single all this time. I can’t imagine anyone willingly entering this kind of life with a man like that. The guilt I carry for kissing him, and the sex, is a suffocating weight. I’m ashamed of myself for giving in to my lust and allowing that man to come near me knowing what he’s done. I only want some alone time to process, but I’m denied that.

My frustration takes me to the in-house gym, but after dressing for a workout, I head outside and run around the massive garden surrounding the estate.

The warm May sun bakes down from above, the sky a gorgeous blue with birds dancing about in the wind. The ground beneath me is dry, and there’s nothing between me, my pounding heart, and the sharp sting of fresh air as I sprint as fast and as far as I can. Every pound of my feet against the ground is a note of frustration at my situation, my father’s silence, my confusion over my feelings, my guilt about Carlos, and my irritation that I can’t leave here to continue my passions. I haven’t visited the hospital since before the wedding, and given how precious time is with those children, part of me fears they won’t be there when I get a chance to return.

I spent months watching my mother waste away in that place. I watched doctors and nurses of all kinds do everything they could to help her, but in the end, her illness was too powerful and I watched her die right in front of me. I’ll never forget the doctor who stayed with me while waiting for my father, or how she complimented my terrible drawings. While I can’t say I ever recovered from the loss of my mother, it did help fuel my passion for art. What started as a desire to feel close tomy mother by recreating her work turned into a chance for me to spread joy through the hospital and light up all the little faces harboring a pain I know so well.

The pain of waiting to see if they will get better. I’ve poured my heart into brightening up those rooms, holding charity auctions to raise money for treatment, and donating to help pay for the bills of children who suffer similar symptoms that my mother had. My father used to tell me that my mother had passed from cancer, and while I learned that was partly true when I turned eighteen and got access to her records, other complicated symptoms hindered her cancer treatment.

Raising money is all I can do to stop that from happening to someone else.

But now I’m stuck here in a good little wife bubble, and it’s infuriating.

I run until my lungs burn, and when I finally come to a stop, panting heavily and sweating profusely, Levi is in my peripheral vision in the same state.

Of course.

He followed me all the way out here because I can’t shake him.

This is insane!

Back at the manor, I shake Levi by going for a shower to wash off the sweat from my run. Once I’m done, I leave the shower running and dress quickly, then call my father for the tenth time this week.

This time, he actually answers.

“Papà! About time. I was getting worried.”

“What is it, Adelina?” His sharp tone is a surprise.

“I’ve been trying to call you all week and you haven’t been picking up.”

“I’m sorry,” he sighs. “Work is stressful.”

“Isn’t Raffaele’s money helping?”

“Oh, it is!” His tone lifts. “It’s just a lot more work than I expected, that’s all.”

“That’s good.”

“Is that all?” my father asks.

“No, I mean… I just hate it here, Papà. I can’t do anything that I love. I can’t go to the hospital. I can’t even paint. I feel like I’m being suffocated.” Staring out the window, I gaze up at two birds engaged in a dance out in the vast blue sky. “I need to get out of here.”

“Careful,” my father warns. “This is your life now, Adelina. This is your responsibility. You have to make this work. For me.”

“I’m trying, but I?—”

“No, Adelina. I don’t want to hear it. You need to be a good wife to Raffaele because we can’t afford to upset him. It’s just an adjustment for you, okay? You’ll get used to it.”

“Papà…”

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